orchestra-en

AUDITION

  • 2026 Seiji Ozawa Music Academy Orchestra Audition

    In 2000, Seiji Ozawa founded the Music Academy with the goal of nurturing young musicians through opera. One of Ozawa’s mentors, Maestro von Karajan, used to say, “Symphony and opera are the two inseparable supports of music.” Ozawa adopted this philosophy and has put it into practice once a year through the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy.

    In 2026, the Academy Orchestra will perform at the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, held in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture.

    For applicants residing outside Japan, auditions will be conducted by video submission.

    • Concert for Children
      2026 Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival – Educational Program
      https://www.ozawa-festival.com/
      Program: Beethoven: Symphony No.3 1st movement
      　　　　　J. Strauss II: excerpts from “Die Fledermaus”
      Period: August 20 to 30, 2026
      *Requires arrival in Japan: August 19th
      Place: Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture
      Conductor: Carl St. Clair

      Participating Costs
      For successful applicants, the Academy will cover necessary expenses such as airfare up to a predetermined amount for one round trip to/from Tokyo, local transportation in Japan, and accommodations and meals during the period. A daily allowance will be provided for meals and local transportation.

      Audition Repertoire
      Violin: 1. J.S. Bach: Solo sonata No.2 BWV1003, I. Grave and II. Fuga
      2. Free Program
      _
      Viola: 1. J.S. Bach: Choose one Fast movement from violin Solo sonatas, Partitas or Cello Solo suites
      2. J.S. Bach: Choose one Slow movement from Cello Solo Suite Sarabande from No. 1,2,3,4,6
      3. Free Program
      _
      Cello: 1. J.S. Bach: Choose one from Solo suite Sarabande from No. 1,2,3,4,6 or Allemande from No.6
      2. Free Program
      _
      Note: There is no need to repeat on Bach program.
      Free program repertoire ideally includes, but is not limited to, concertos, solo sonatas,
      and other repertoire with accompanists.

      Jury Members
      Yasushi Toyoshima [violin]
      Yoshiko Kawamoto [viola]
      Sadao Harada [The vice director and the cello coach of the academy]

      Application
      Audition application form
      _
      Video Recording Guidelines:
      1. State your name clearly and slowly at the beginning of the video recording.
      2. The repertoire must be recorded in the order listed.
      3. The free repertoire should ideally be performed with an accompanist, but this is not mandatory.
      4. Audio-only recordings will not be accepted.
      5. The video must have been recorded in January 2026 or later.
      6. Editing or enhancement of the audio or video after recording is strictly prohibited.

      Eligibility
      Orchestral instrumentalists between the ages of 16 and 29 as of April 1, 2026.
      You must be available for the full schedule of the performance you wish to participate in.

      Application Deadline
      March 8 (Sun), 2026

      Result notification
      Audition results will be announced by the end of March.

/